PULLMAN, Wash. - Joining the Pac-12 head coaches and coaches around the nation, Washington State men's basketball head coach Kyle Smith has pledged his support of the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI) Monday morning. The initiative will provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership, and Mentorship. Participants in the initiative will be known as MLI Future Leaders. 

"The McClendon Foundation is an important initiative to help foster the next generation of administrators," said Smith. "I have been a vocal advocate to create access and opportunities for people from underrepresented and under-resourced backgrounds in coaching. This is a strong step to produce opportunities for the people who will lead our coaches and student-athletes in the future. This should be an instrument to improve the structure and foundations of athletic administrations."

The coach driven initiative was initially started by Kentucky's John Calipari and Harvard's Tommy Amaker, the initiative is a step forward in the pledge by coaches around the country to promote social justice and fight racism. All 12 Pac-12 head coaches signed on for a four-year commitment to the initiative, pledging funding and support that will go to establish athletics administration educational experiences for minority candidates on each campus. The coaches will act as a liaison with the McLendon Foundation and serve as ambassadors and mentors to the MLI Future Leaders. 

The McLendon Foundation was created in 1999 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in recognition of the life-long accomplishments of John McLendon Jr. McLendon is recognized as an ambassador in the field of athletics, the inventor of basketball's "Fast Break" and as a civil rights pioneer. "Coach Mac," as he was affectionately known, is the person responsible for the integration of college basketball. The foundation is dedicated to the educational advancement and cultivation of minority students.